The eyes have it.

Today is Father’s Day, and my sister, the Middle Child, posted a picture on Facebook of her and our Daddy.  Guessing, I would say it was taken about 25 years ago or more.  Daddy looks so happy in the picture, being kissed on the cheek by his favorite.  I like the picture because his expression is so vibrant I can look at it and see Daddy, the real man, not just his image.  This is a thing I do when I look at pictures of people.  I look for their realness.

This strange habit started one day when I was looking at a picture of me, trying to find myself hidden inside the squinty eyes, puffy cheeks and double chin.  I knew the real me was in there somewhere, it just had to be.  So I stared at the picture and let my eyes go in and out of focus until they finally settled on what I was hoping to find.  It’s like those pictures from years ago, the ones with the dots you stare at until an image emerges.  I’ve never been good at those pictures; their secrets remain hidden from me, locked in the pixels. That is why I find it ironic I can stare at a photograph and see the essence of the person hidden behind the face.

Don’t get me wrong, I cannot see into a person’s soul.  I do not have superpowers.  The day I stared at the picture of myself I was able to find the outline of my face the way it used to be when I was younger and much thinner.  The extra baggage melted away and I found the real me, the one that is locked away inside this body I am so ashamed to be living in.  

Once I realized I had this talent I began looking at pictures of other people to see if I could see the same thing in their photographs.  The answer is, yes, I can.  Usually.  There are some faces that do not emerge because I am distracted by the eyes.  The mouth may be smiling, but the eyes are numb.  It’s surprising how many pictures I come across with blank eyes.  It makes me wonder what unhappiness lies at their core, and why they are trying to hide it.

Yeah, I know I have a strange way of seeing things, but as the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover.  (A truth I know because I’ve picked some stinkers based on their idyllic cover art.) That’s why I try to take time to really look beyond a person’s appearance and find their hidden self.  I think we all deserve that chance.